Phong Nha cave listed among top world destinations

Vietnam’s world heritage Phong Nha cave in the central province of Quang Binh has been certificated as one of world’s best destinations by the US famous tourism website TripAdvisor.

According to Le Thanh Loi, Director of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, the grotto is rated 4.5 of 5 points for successful tourism sites in terms of professionalism, service style, and spectacular natural sights.

He stressed that the TripAdvisor’s certificate is testimony to the co-ordinated efforts of the national park management to promote local tourism, attraction and investment. 

Recently, Phong Nha cave has been upgraded with a lighting system to ensure safety for visitors and make it become an aquarium on earth.

TripAdvisor is a travel website for customers to gather information, and opinions on travel-related issues and engage in interactive travel forums.

The website is free to users and supported by an advertising business model.

Established in 2000 by businessman Stephen Kaufer, is has been used by more than 32 million people in 30 countries.

Unique relics of Son Tay ancient Citadel

Located in the heart of Son Tay town, about 40km from Hanoi city, Son Tay ancient citadel is an ancient military architecture, built in the reign of King Ming Mang (1822).

Because it had strategic location on the Red River, it was in his history in important military outpost, especially against the invasions from the north.

The citadel was a place where the kings of the Nguyen Dynasty lived and worked. The square fort with a length of 450 meters is now in the heart of the city, about two miles from the Red River.

Remaining gunners

It was completely surrounded by a five meter walls with loopholes and a three-meter deep and 20 meter wide moat. On each side, there was a gate, guarded by cannons, which was reached via a stone bridge. The four main ports: The south gate called Tien gate; the north is the Hau port, the East main and West main. The North gate and the adjacent wall sections have been restored some time ago. The West and the South Gate have also been preserved, while the gate in the Sast is destroyed. The entrance to the fortress is possible only through the North or the South Gate.

Each port on the top, there is guard floor with only one entrance.

Hundred-year-old trees cover the mossy citadel walls and gates.

Son Tay Ancient Citadel has become a unique military architectural work and cultural historical relic, attracting many tourists. Tourists will surely never forget the image of hundred-year-old trees giving shade all year round and stretching their roots to cover the mossy citadel walls and gates.

Paying a visit to Son Tay, you can connect very well with a journey into the past to the community of Duong Lam which is quite close to the town.

Quang Ninh: Yen Tu landscape

Located in Thuong Yen Cong Commune, about 40 kilometers far from Ha Long City, Quang Ninh Province, Yen Tu is a famous and nice mountain in Vietnam with clear streams as silk running around bamboo forests; green pine forests, and towers and ancient temples appear and disappear alternately.

In addition, Yen Tu region is well-known worldwide for its beautiful landscapes, historical relics and hundreds of ancient pagodas and towers, especially Dong (Bronze) Pagoda, with its peak at 1,068 meters above sea level.

Yen Tu is a place where the King devoted his life as a Buddhist monk after his abdication. The event included various activities, including incense offering ceremony, a requiem praying for peace and prosperity in the country and the world and a seminar on Tran Nhan Tong and his cultural and ideological heritages. With great devotion to the development of the country, King Tran Nhan Tong is being proposed as a great man of culture.

Visitors to here will have an opportunity to hear a interesting story of Giai Oan stream. In fact, the way to Giai Oan stream is very difficult and high. Both sides of the road is covered with 700-800 year-old pine lines, with big and strong body, roots rising over the surface of road like as a big python crawled into the stairs for visitors to go steady. In the slope of Voi Phuc Temple, the King Tran Anh Tong has visited Hoa Yen Pagoda – the religious life. Tran Nhan Tong must walk to the pagoda. Beside the slope of Voi phuc, it is considered as a pearl with many towers and graves where is used for chairs of Yen Tu pagoda.

Giai Oan stream

The way to get to Dong Pagoda

Visiting Yen Tu pagoda, you can have a chance to explore a system of pagodas, towers and ancient tree forests.

Visitors to Dong pagoda

On the top of Yen Tu Mountain, there is Dong pagoda at the height of 1068m. Nowadays, visitors can reach Dong pagoda by cables. It is very interesting. Visitors not only enjoyed the feeling of sitting cables but also see beautiful scenes of pagodas belong to your trip.

Visiting Thang Hen Lake and tasting famous specialities of Cao Bang province

Located in Tra Linh District, Cao Bang Province, the Lake was definitely beautiful with its beautiful sapphire-blue surface. If having a chance to visit Thac Hen Lake, Aasmall boat will take you around the lake and the deep blue water was a window into world of sea creatures.

Tourists can hear the sounds of the different creatures around the lake such as small birds singing and the sound of water as we glided through the lake  or you also hear a local musician who playing a song which reflect his feelings about the area. Around the lake, the thick, green forest is set against the blue sky. The surrounding forestland was full of local wildlife and many species of insects, and you should bring bug repellent if you venture into the forest.

After a short time on the boat, tourists will enter a small cave at the base of a mountain known as Thang Hen Cave. Its large opening gave way to a ceiling of stalactites, silhouetted against the lake’s surface, which runs into the cave. The shapes give the dark cave a strange atmosphere, as do the plants growing on the rocks.

According to the history of the ethnic group living here, Thang Hen is a mountain lake comprised of 36 different lakes that stretch for 3km in length. During the rainy season, its water level rises, linking them all together. The surrounding mountains stand up to 660m above sea level, and are covered in green and tall trees, which are reflected on the water’s surface.

The Huong Thom restaurant and hotel are located at the Thang Hen Lake precinct and built in the architectural style of ethnic stilt houses made of nghien hard wood which is abundant in the area. This is the only facility providing visitors with food and accommodation close to the lake, and has been praised by locals as one of the best restaurants offering Cao Bang cuisine. The restaurant was famous for wild bamboo shoots, special sticky rice, and a special kind of leaf called mac mat.

Enjoying the natural scenery and culture around the lake makes it worthwhile. You can lie in a boat and soak up the view of the stunning chain of limestone mountains and experience a perfect meal with special way of drinking.

Da Lat’s night market

When the sun goes down, Da Lat city in Lam Dong province is lit up by the bright lights of shops, restaurants and hotels. In the cool night air, you should dress warmly to wander around the small streets exploring the local cuisine.

In the daytime, Da Lat charms visitors with its colorful flowers, green pine forests, beautiful lakes and fresh highlands air. Tourists often make side trips to outlying areas to see flower villages, mountains and magnificent waterfalls. When the sun sets, it’s time to relax and warm up with local food, perhaps the favorite attraction of this highlands city.

Justin Colebrissi, a tourist from the US says: “I love Da Lat compared to Sai Gon, a beautiful city and people are much more friendly. I think the overall atmosphere and the weather are nicer. We’ve been doing a little bit at night market. We eat food and buy new things to take home. It’s good. It’s one of interesting things and prices are much better, too. Tomorrow, I think of a plan to do a little sight seeing and may be go to rent a car to the waterfall, take in a little bit of culture and then drink”.

Many tourists agree that no tour of Da Lat is complete without exploring the local night market and its street food stalls. While tourists in Sai Gon and Hanoi usually go to a restaurant to sample the local cuisine, in Da Lat, it’s the open food stalls in the central market where visitors find something hot to eat to warm up while they observe the street activity.

The food stalls in the central market are tiny with just a couple small tables and chairs, but that doesn’t bother the customers. Ms. Loan, who has been selling soy milk in Da Lat’s central market for 10 years, says: “A variety of food is offered in the Da Lat market. Tourists usually come to the market between 5 and 10 pm to enjoy soy milk and Banh trang nuong or grilled rice papers. Soy milk is a Da Lat specialty. The milk is mixed with sugar, coconut milk and ginger. This is a favorite treat of Da Lat tourists. They drink it hot to warm themselves against the cold Da Lat night air”.

Bánh tráng nướng is the most popular dish with Da Lat tourists- large sheets of rice paper grilled over smoldering coals and topped with some contributions of egg, pork, beef, scallions, chili, pounded shrimp, mayo, or cheese.

Nguyen Thi Kim Oanh, who sells Bánh tráng nướng (Grilled rice papers) at the market says: “This dish was created by Da Lat people. I sell from 3 in the afternoon until 11 at night. My shop is the most crowded from 8 to 10. Most of the customers are tourists. Local people visit my shop only on the weekend. This dish is easy to eat and very popular among tourists. Some people call it Vietnamese pizza. Different cooks have different ways of cooking this dish”.

Barbecue shops are another place Da Lat visitors shouldn’t miss. Each shop owner has his own special grilled dish recipe but they are all tasty. Food prices at the night market are quite reasonable. A piece of grilled rice paper is only 30 cents and a glass of soy milk is just 25 cents. So there you have it. The tasty and affordable street food in Da Lat should keep you busy through many cold evenings.

Conquering BaiTho Mountain - a valuable cultural and historical relic

Bai Tho Mountain (Poem Mount) in Quang Ninh is well-known for its beautiful and majestic landscape, becoming an ideal attraction.

BaiTho Mountain (Poem Mount) is located in the heart of Ha Long city, Quang Ninh province, 200 meters in height, a valuable cultural and historical relic. In the past, the mount was called “Truyen Dang”. By February 1468, on his visit to Ha Long, Le Thanh Tong King wrote a poem on the mount. From that time, the mount was renamed “BaiTho”.

In addition, the mount has been carved by vestiges of some other poems of famous poets: Nguyen Can. At the foot of BaiTho has Long Tien pagoda, built in 1940 to worship Buddha and generals of Tran Dynasty. The pagoda owns a very unique architecture, features for Vietnamese culture.

From a distance, BaiTho mount is look like a giant castle with three towers on undulating solidly walls. Conquering the mount is not easy, but you did, you will be surprised by the spectacular landscape of Ha Long bay, by the beauty of immense sea, by magical stone islands….When you are on the top of BaiTho, you will have the chance see firsthand an overview of Ha Long landscape that you have not seen ever; this feeling is really excited.

The sight was seen from Bai Tho mountain

Indeed, Bai Tho mount is one of the best choices for those who would like to conquer nature and themselves; experiencing new feelings; enjoy clear atmosphere; understand about the history. Long Tien pagoda on BaiTho is ideal destination for local and international Buddhists.

GREEN VILLAGE ROLLS OUT BAMBOO BICYCLES

For those seeking refuge from the bustling tourist town of Hoi An, this ecotourism village offers a quieter vacation spot. Instead of cars and motorbikes, bicycles fill the peaceful streets.

Float on: Tourists can ride bamboo boats called coracles through the forest swamps. Cam Thanh Village outside Hoi An Town is a favourite eco-tour destination for visitors. They love its 30ha of nipa palm forest and handicrafts made from palm and bamboo. Soon, they will have a choice of riding around on bamboo-frame bicycles being produced by a village craftsman – green bicycles in a green village. The village, which has a population of 2,000, offers bicycle tours, trips in primitive coracles, floating trips among the palm trees and visiting craft people making traditional bamboo furniture. Cam Thanh is an option for visitors visiting Hoi An along with craft villages making lanterns, silk goods, timber furniture and pottery. Visitors can pedal along 5km of winding flat roads around the tranquil village, just 3km from the major tourism hub of Hoi An. Bikes, available for rent in Hoi An, are the perfect stop-start way of travelling throughout the area. Eco-friendly: The village offers a range of sustainable bamboo transport options, on both water and land. The nipa palm forest shadows the Thu Bon River, where tourists can explore the wetland ecological system in coracles, craft of woven bamboo covered with pitch that date back to prehistoric times. The forest swamps are home to shrimps, fish and bird life. Tourists can use nets or lines to fish from the odd little craft. If they like, they can spend a full day in the forest. Lunch can be prepared on site, hopefully heaps of grilled fish and prawns caught in the morning. Pham Vu Dung, a Hoi An tour operator, said the combination of bicycle rides and fishing from coracles was a unique combination that appealed to visitors. For the past 100 years, villagers have been planting nipa palms to protect the village from the Thu Bon River when it floods and to make handicrafts. Simple life: A traditional thatched roofed house in Cam Thanh Village. The forest, which is part of the world recognised bio-reserve Cham Island, has also helped protect the village from storms, while, at the same time, created a stable income for the villagers. Craftsman Vo Tan Muoi, 71, and his son Vo Anh Tan, create unique bamboo furniture and can also build houses using bamboo and palm leaves for the roof and walls. "Local people used to make their houses from bamboo and palm. A house with walls made of split bamboo panels and palm-leaf roof can be used for 30 years," Muoi said, adding that the structures kept cool in summer, but warm in winter. He said new-style buildings had gradually replaced the old-style houses. But villagers preserve some old houses to please the tourists. The old man said his family produces furniture, souvenirs and interior decorations from bamboo. Muoi's son, Vo Anh Tan, has even created a bamboo bicycle and unique decorations. "I have replaced parts of the steel frame with bamboo for those who would enjoy such an unusual environmentally friendly vehicle in a green village," Tan said. "However, I just started production last year and the new design is still being tested." Tan also creates many other objects from bamboo, including beds, sofas, jars, and an old manual telephone. The whole village is drawn into the craft work in its different stages. Vo Tat Thang, 40, who began the trade at the age of 12, said the bamboo was soaked in water for six months before being left out to dry in the sun for 10 days. "The process helps eliminate termites and wood-borers. Palm leaves dry in about two weeks and can then be used," he said. Thang said he and a group of 10 craftsmen often made traditional houses from bamboo and palm leaves to fill orders from around the nation. "We have built bamboo houses at many resorts, restaurants and cafes following orders from owners. The houses create are unique in the days of concrete and steel," he said. "Each house can be completed in 15 days for a cost of VND400,000 (US$20) per square metre," he said. "We get local householders to finish the processes to save time and create more work for our neighbours," he said. The traditional houses are free from iron. "All bamboo panels are tied together with bamboo string, while beams and posts are locked in with bamboo nails." Huynh Anh Phien, 61, earns around VND100,000 ($4.8) a day from processing palm. "It's a hard job, but the craft earns more than rice farming. We plant palm trees and harvest the leaves after five years. The main crop is between February and June." Vo Thi Thuong, 45, makes VND150,000 ($7) a day working in the palm forest cutting leaves and putting them out to dry. "I've lived well for 20 years by growing palms. They need careful care in the first five years to grow well," she said. "The forest protects the village from landslides during the October flood season." Vice chairman of the city's people's committee, Truong Van Bay, said the green tours can not only provide income for villagers, but help preserve the district's green heritage. "There are plans to build a craft production centre on 15ha in Cam Thanh Village to display the arts and crafts we make," Bay said. He said the centre would be near the village entrance, making it more convenient for tourists and villagers. Dinh Thi Thu Thuy, head of the city's trade and tourism office, said Cam Thanh Village was the best local village to explore by bicycle. "The forest of nipa palm, which connects with Tra Que Village and Cua Dai beach, is a full-day tour option. Tourists can also learn how to plant vegetables and rices with farmers in Tra Que before testing their skills on bamboo and palm furniture production at Cam Thanh," said Thuy. She said Hoi An hosted 1.6 million tourists last year, including 600,000 foreigners, who enjoy its peace and beauty. Mark Wyndham, who runs a motorbike adventure tour company based in Hoi An, said the town was safe and easy to live in. "I lived for a long time in Ha Noi and HCM City, but Hoi An is the right location for me to do business. I find life here very comfortable and was given a residential permit from the city's administration," he said. The evergreen rice fields, friendly people and quiet life in Cam Thanh inspired Jean Cabane, 64, from Nimes in France to settle in the area four years ago. Japanese Hirukawa Yuki found the ancient town a good place to live when he gave up the fast-paced life in Tokyo two years ago. "Local people treat us like friends. There is no space between us. They shared our difficulties from the first days we moved to Hoi An. My neighbours even invited me to a party with their family for Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, Yuki said. "Life is so easy. I love the peace and quiet and the smile of local people." Meanwhile craftsman Muoi and his son keep producing bamboo furniture from their bamboo house in the centre of the village. Tan expects to soon finish two bamboo bicycles as prototypes for mass production.

Impress with the architecture and a person's life at Nha Rong Whar

Nha Rong Wharf is a cultural site with special relics in Ho Chi Minh City, where late President Ho Chi Minh left to seek ways to save the nation over 100 years ago.

On June 5, 1911, the patriotic young man Nguyen Tat Thanh left the country on the ship, Admiral Latouche Treville, to begin his quest for salvation. Many changes have taken place over the past 100 years but Nha Rong Wharf still exists and ideals of the young man who later became the great leader of Vietnam are still shining along with the nation.

Nha Rong Wharf - Sai Gon’s trading port on the Saigon Vietnam River – was built in 1863 by French colonialists. The building was a combination of western and eastern architecture.

Nha Rong is the name that Vietnamese used to call the office of France’s Messageries Maritimes Company. This magnificent building was built in 1863, four years after the French seized Saigon. It has original and strange architecture. Its roof has the elegant beauty of the roof of a Chinese pagoda with two dragons competing for a fireball. As there are two dragons on the roof, Vietnamese call the building Nha Rong.

Nha Rong is located at the three-way intersection of the Saigon River and Ben Nghe Canal. On the far side of the canal, there was a rice field on a high area. At that time, there was no bridge over the canal, so people went to Nha Rong by boat. More than 20 years later, the Messageries iron bridge was built to connect Adran Street, now Ho Tung Mau Street, with the far side of the canal.

Messageries Maritimes was a big sea transport company and was established in 1851. It was headquartered in Marseilles and had shipping routes to America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Many ships of the company were named after Vietnam’s geographical places such as Annam, Tourane, Sontay, and Haiphong. Nha Rong Wharf was the stopover for ships going from Marseilles to Hong Kong and Yokohama.

Many postcards were printed with the images of ships and wharfs used by Messageries Maritimes and there were paintings of the company’s ships in storms. Nha Rong appeared in many postcards for decades. Later it was printed on the Vietnamese 50,000-dong banknote. Together with Ben Thanh Market, Nha Rong is one of the two symbols of Ho Chi Minh City.

After the French colonial were defeated in 1954, the wharf was managed by the South Vietnam government which repaired the roofs of the two houses and replaced the old dragons with two new ones that dace outwards.

After Unification Day, the building became a historical relic and memorial area for President Ho Chi Minh.

To mark the 10th death anniversary of Uncle Ho on September 2, 1979, Nha Rong Wharf welcomed visitors to an exhibition on “President Ho Chi Minh’s career for salvation”. The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee decided to turn the “President Ho Chi Minh Memorial” into the “Ho Chi Minh Museum” on September 20, 1982.

The museum collects, preserves, displays and disseminates information about President Ho Chi Minh’s life and revolutionary career as well as his love for the southern people.

The Ho Chi Minh Museum in Ho Chi Minh City currently has more than 11,000 documents and items and 3,300 books on President Ho Chi Minh.

Nha Rong Wharf is a great location for tourists Vietnam travel who want a unique experience.

ECO-TOURIST SITE IN TRANG AN, NINH BINH

Our boat left a wharf on the Sao Khe River and led to Trang An Eco-Tourist Site, a wild but very attractive area in Gia Vien District, Ninh Binh Province.

Our small boat went smoothly on the river whose water is so clear that the riverbed can be seen. The space was so tranquil that the only sound heard was that of the oars slapping the water. Afar, green mountains with white flowers of reed trees growing on the mountain foot made a beautiful scene. While enjoying fresh air and the landscape in the soft light of the mountainous area we had a feeling of being lost in a fairylike world.   A vast watery space surrounded by imposing limestone mountains in Trang An. It was strange to us that our boat could not go along a straight water route as in another tour to Tam Coc – Bich Dong grottoes (also in Ninh Binh Province), but followed a circular route of over 10km. About 200m away from the wharf our boat reached Trinh Temple which is locally known as Dot Temple. The Temple is dedicated to Dinh Thang and Dinh Thuoc, the great generals in the Dinh Dynasty (10th century) who were credited with helping King Dinh Tien Hoang defeat the invaders, bringing peace to the country. Going further, our boat arrived at the first grotto named Dia Linh which is over 400m long. Trang An boasts many beautiful grottoes Inside the grotto, rows of stalactites in various strange shapes hang from the roof of the cave. In addition, water dripping from the roof made the space more illusory. Just as our boat came out of the grotto, a vast watery space surrounded by imposing limestone mountains appeared in front of us, creating a feeling of being in a gigantic natural well. Its water was calm and so limpid that bushes of green seaweed at the bottom looked like a grass cover. Tourists behold the charming beauty of Trang An. The boat ran through another grotto and then entered another watery space. Each grotto and watery space has its own wild beauty and is given a name, such as the Wine Brewing Grotto, Si Watery Space, Tran Temple, etc. There are about 50 grottoes in Trang An. The positions of mountains and river are harmonious with each other. Domestic and foreign Buddhist monks visit Bai Dinh Pagoda. When the boat was running through the Wine Brewing Grotto we were told that there had been a very deep gulf with pure water in this grotto, so the locals used to fetch the water to brew wine to offer to the king. Along the route some boats called at a wharf for tourists to visit Tran Temple. Trang An Eco-Tourist Site is known not only as a beautiful spot but also a sacred place for Buddhist followers.  The Buddhist statue-bathing rite Coming to Trang An, tourists also visit Bai Dinh Pagoda complex on Bai Dinh Mountain in Gia Sinh Commune, Gia Vien District, Ninh Binh Province. The complex consists of the ancient Bai Dinh Pagoda situated at a height of nearly 200m, which, as legend goes was built in the Ly Dynasty (the 11th century), and the new Bai Dinh Pagoda which is being built on an area of 107ha with many architectural works of national record. Bai Dinh Pagoda has 50 stone statues of Arhats. At the foot of the mountain there is Ngoc (Jade) Well with blue water. It was embellished and expanded in 2006, being 97.3m in circumference, 30m in diameter and 19m deep. Legend has it that in the old days Bonze Nguyen Minh Khong used to fetch water from this well to prepare herbal medicines to treat diseases for people. The three statues of Buddha of the Past, Present and Future, each weighing 50 tonnes, are the heaviest bronze statues in Vietnam. Everyday, groups of Buddhist followers and tourists from far and near come to visit the pagodas and contemplate the architectural and sculptural works as well as the beautiful landscape of Vietnamese Buddhism during the early 21st century. The inauguration ceremony of Bai Dinh Pagoda will be organised in 2010 on the occasion of the 1,000thanniversary of the year King Ly Thai To (1010 - 1225) issued the Royal Proclamation to move the capital from Hoa Lu (Ninh Binh Province) to Thang Long, present-day Hanoi.

Saigon Salad Rolls

The Southern region of Vietnam has a system of criss-crossing rivers and canals and primitive forests that provide the land with a plentiful resource of food to make delicious dishes, including Goi cuon (salad rolls) that is one of the 12 Vietnamese dishes in the food record category recognized by the Asian Record Association.

Goi cuon is a tasty, nutritious and eye-catching dish which is very popular in Ho Chi Minh City and the southern provinces. The main ingredients for making this dish consist of pork, shrimp, salad, basil, rice vermicelli and rice paper - one of the most important and indispensable ingredients that decides the quality of the dish . To make rice paper, it is necessary to clean and soak rice in water for some hours before grinding it into batter.

To make thin rice paper, a thin layer of batter is poured on a cloth that is tautly stretched and placed on top of the pot which can quickly cook the rice batter, keeping it moist and pliable. A flat and flexible bamboo stick is used to lift off the delicate rice crepes that are put into flats for drying. Dried rice crepes are then preserved carefully for use over a long period of time.

To prepare for the stuffing for the rolls, pork is boiled and sliced while the shrimp is cleaned and boiled before peeling and splitting into two pieces. 

The main ingredients for the dish consist of pork, shrimp, rice vermicelli, rice crepes and basil

When serving, spread a rice crepe on a large plate and then put the prepared ingredients onto
it before rolling.

The dish looks eye-catching.

The sauce for Goi cuon is made from a variety of ingredients, such as a dash of soybean sauce, coconut milk, a squeeze of tamarind, chopped garlic, hot pepper, onions, ground peanuts, fried sesame seeds and cooking oil.

To enjoy this dish, spread each rice paper that is made wet by water on a plate and then put a piece of shrimp, pork, salad, basil, a chopstick portion of rice vermicelli and a stem of shallot and roll it tightly. Serve with the sauce.